Hill County
History

In 1852 doctor Josephus Murray Steiner and Elijah Sterling Clack Robinson
devised a plan to stimulate land speculation by creating a new county.
This new county would be created by subdividing Navarro
County. As a result of some help from Governor Bell, a special
session of the Texas Legislature was called and a bill to divide Navarro
County was signed into law on February 7, 1853. Hill County was
named for Dr. George Washington Hill who had served as Secretary of
War for President Sam
Houston, and also had been elected to the state legislature from
Navarro County in 1851.

During a special session of the Hill County Commissioners Court on
August 23, 1853 a parcel of land near the center of the county was
donated to form the county seat. The county seat was originally called
Hillsborough but the town's name was changed to Hillsboro
in 1854 when the Post Office declared names ending in “borough” should
be changed to “boro”.

In 1881 the railroads arrived in Hillsboro
and along with them came jobs and prosperity. As a result of the railroads,
county population grew after 1881 and well into the early decades
of the Twentieth Century. Because of the available rail transportation
and jobs, German and other European immigrants came to the county
to settle. Cotton also contributed
to the prosperity of Hill County, but after the 1930's cotton
production declined probably because of the Depression, and the advent
of synthetic fabrics.

As a result of the exit of the railroads from the area in the 1930's
followed by the demise of agriculture and then manufacturing, population
declined in the county until the 1970's. Today agriculture, manufacturing,
and retail operations all contribute to the prosperity of Hill County.
Hillsboro's location
at the convergence/split of Interstate Highway 35 East and West provides
plenty of traffic for the the Prime Outlet Mall and many other local
retail establishments.